I saw the news that my main man and good friend Neil “Lavernen” Shirley had a career ride at the US National Championships in Greenville, South Carolina. Old Shirls came out with a 3rd place podium finish. Speachless…

My man Shirls is on the left, the other two you know.
Photo hijacked from CyclingNews Photo ©: Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc

You know… in order to properly wax, one must first light a candle…

I’ve been cycling for half my life. At 19 I began to ride full time. No work, no school, just bike. All my eggs were in one single basket. I admired and respected (still do) riders who I thought worked very very hard. Guys like Mike Creed, Gord Fraser, Chris Baldwin. In my eyes, they worked damn hard. The hardest of anyone I’d come across in the sport. So… I figured I should try and work harder than they did. Made sense right? Work harder than a few of cycling’s best and one day you’ll be right with them? Last season my paths crossed with Shirls, as we were now teammates with Jittery Joe’s. I can honestly say, that in nearly 14 years on a bike, I have NEVER met anyone who works as hard as Neil Shirley. As a matter of fact, if you room with him on the road, be prepared for an early to bed, early to rise schedule with a daily afternoon nap right after his training ride. He also watched the entire 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer this season on the road. I’ll try and not hold that against him.

Anyways, congrats Shirls. You deserve a ride like that.

P.S. Will you send me your race jersey unwashed with numbers still pinned on it? I’m going to E-Bay it.

Categories: Daily Jibber Jabber.